Review: Almost Heaven at IndyFringe

Amy Pettinella wrote and directed her Sprit & Place Festival contribution, which presented the story of one nursing home resident as he deals with a life of regret and unresolved grief. The delicate and often emotional subject matter was written from the hand of someone who, undoubtedly, understands or has experienced the responsibility of elder care.

Pettinella's all-dialogue, no-action style of playwriting was an apt fit for this mediation on a now action-less life. However, the show suffered under her direction. Slowly paced scenes were a product of glaring directorial mistakes. The strength of her script was undercut by unmotivated blocking and actors failing to pick up their cues.

Larry Haworth, in the central role, offered a persuasive performance as a feeble and increasingly senile man. When left on a silent stage in his loneliness, Haworth filled the
space with himself carrying the arc of his story constantly. His performance was truly moving.